Recent developments in the automotive industry have lead to the inclusion of independent electrical functional groups in individual components of a motor vehicle. For example, motor vehicle seats, in contrast to the conventional, purely mechanical constructions, now may include numerous actuators, sensors or actuating elements. Actuators can be used for the adjustment of the seat height or the angle of inclination, for setting the distance from the steering wheel or for seat heating, for example. Sensors can be used for detecting the locking of a safety belt, for electrical operating or actuating elements, or for airbags for example.
Components such as vehicle seats were heretofore mounted with their own respective electrical plug connections, which were arranged either within the seat or outside the foot space of the passengers, in order to avoid inadvertent damage or disconnection. As a result, the mounting process was time-consuming and costly, since the plug connections were typically individually mated and the accompanying wiring was individually assembled and terminated.